Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Wanderlust List

The Internet, mainly Pinterest and Instagram, have aided my lust for wandering the globe. [Is that why it's called wanderlust?] Anyway, when I was young, the dream to travel came in different forms. 

My parents used to get the Costco travel magazine, which I'm sure all members got in the mail, but I of course thought Costco was trying to tell us that a trip was one of the perks to a yearly membership. [I always was a positive thinker..] First place I'd always suggest? Bora Bora and Fiji. Why? I mean, just look at the pictures! Over the water huts?? Is this heaven?! Then there were Mary Kate and Ashley. Those uber cool twins went EVERYWHERE...Passport to Paris, Winning London, Our Lips Are Sealed, Holiday in the Sun, When in Rome...foreign adventures galore! I was happy to live out my inner European Olsen twin dream by going to London, Paris, and Rome after graduating high school. Then I was more than ecstatic to live in Australia for 6 months while studying abroad -- another Olsen dream crossed off the bucket list! While I would absolutely love to go back to those places and discover more parts of the countries, I still have a ton of other places on my list. So here is a quick list of places I'm going and places that I'd love to start planning to go to. Just another snippet into my way of life.

Going:
I have always wanted to go to the US Virgin Islands and after 2 people I knew went in this past year, I decided it was time to quickly book a trip. I have never been so I am so excited to go and absolutely cannot wait [only 4 more months!] I will be staying on the North East side of St. Thomas at the Point Pleasant Resort and plan on island hopping every single day to St. John, Tortuga (BVI), and Virgin Gorda (BVI). I'll be bringing my own snorkel gear to free dive around all the islands and you'd be lucky if you can successfully bribe me out of the water with bubble gum - bubble gum is my ultimate favorite candy by the way, so to say no to that is one of the hardest things I could do in life.

Just a couple weeks from now I'll be snowboarding in KillingtonVermont. I'm beyond stoked. Yes, I'm a beach girl at heart but nothing can stop me from loving the slopes and a full day of boarding and bonding with my family and friends. It's only about 4-5 hours away but for whatever reason, I have never gotten to Vermont! So luckily my family and our family friends will be renting a cabin there for an extended weekend. Our family friends that are joining us have twin 3 years olds who have been referring to it as 'Snowy Island' and to me that is perfect. We're bringing some board games, planning on going to a brewery, got a new snowboard jacket...ahh Snowy Island seems like a dream already!

Want:
There's been a lot of talk around this place lately and with new airfare prices, it's now on the top of my bucket list. Iceland. WOW Air recently announced $99 airfare from Boston and Baltimore each way...that's $200 to go to Iceland! Insanity. Real pictures of the northern lights look like something you'd only see the movies computer generate and its endless natural beauty will make any nature lover go ga-ga over. There are so many things to do in Iceland like wandering gacliers, ice cave tours, volcano hikes, hot springs, waterfalls, ugh the list of amazingness goes on.  The main thing I want to do there? Ride a horse. They're just so cute! Oh yea, and Beyonce has been there.

Pinterest did this to me. Ok, I'll admit it, Pitnerest AND Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants did this to me. The 2016 trip I want to plan is Greece. Athens, Mykonos, and Santorini...maybe throw Crete in their too! Pictures of Greece are breathtaking. So when I'm bored I often just scroll through endless pictures of Greece on Pinterest and imagine what it'd be like to ride a donkey up the hilly paths of Santorini. Not to mention I love Greek food - can you say stuffed grape leaves?! YUM.




Monday, February 16, 2015

Calligraphy - Getting Started

Calligraphy is such a beautiful form of art. When I stumbled upon an Instagram account that had a feed full of talent, beauty, and inspiration I knew I found something special...that account was Laura Hooper calligraphy. I read through her blog and wandered her site, admiring every bit of it. Lately she's been writing words on macaroons with edible pen..how can you not love that?? For months now I see her posts everyday and think of how amazing it is that she created such a beautiful and inspiring business from true talent and devotion to something she loved. Last week, I decided on whim to purchase her starter kit, and if I do say so myself, it was a great decision. 

Way of Life

When combing through craft stores, it's so hard to know what supplies are really good even when searching the internet for reviews. I like to try new things so I don't want to go out and drop a ton of money on something I'd just like to dabble with and find out that it isn't performing the way I hoped. With Laura's starter kit, it's all I hoped for and more. Not only does she supply everything you need including nibs and practice paper, but she also provides instructions and an alphabet. If you've ever thought about wanting to try calligraphy even if it's just a hobby but don't know where to start..I highly recommend getting her starter kit and go from there! And remember, practice makes perfect...oh, and have fun!